The All-New Black Pearl Restaurant

by Iyath Adam

For our Eating Out article this time, we visit the all-new Black Pearl Restaurant & Lounge.

Located above Schwack Cinema, the Black Pearl is already known for their different décor and delicious food. The interior of the restaurant is dark with a lot of beautiful Maldivian art, greenery and both table and booth seating – great for date nights and family dinners alike!

The menu was comprehensive with appetizers, several interesting drinks as well as main dishes with Italian, Mexican, Thai, and other Asian fusions. Surprisingly, the menu did not feature any desserts, although there were some cakes up for grabs on their dessert counter.

Now, for our verdict!

For drinks, we went with the Tamarind Surprise, an absolutely delicious drink that tasted like helenbeli metaa or tamarind sweet – a tangy, sweet mix of tamarind with pineapple and citrus juice.

We also tried something called the Spicy Lemonade – a lemon-y mocktail infused with cinnamon, cloves, and cardamom. The taste was indeed spicy but in a mild way, mixed with the sweet bitterness of the fizzy lemonade.

For the food, we first went for an appetizer; Vietnamese spring rolls – rice paper rolled with vermicelli, shrimps, fresh coriander, and mint leaves, placed on a balsamic glaze. And it was absolutely divine! The sweet balsamic glaze went well with the sharp taste of the greens and the prawns and vermicelli, along with the sweet chilli sauce served with the rolls. Definitely a great start to the dinner!

On to our mains now – Nasi Goreng and the Black Pearl Baked Crabs.

First off, the Nasi Goreng. It definitely looked like something off a Balinese catalogue. Fried rice served with chicken satay, chilli paste and prawn crackers. The rice was spicy, a little bit tangy and chock full of umami – an absolute flavour bomb for sure! The chicken was cooked perfectly – tender and with a teriyaki glaze that was both sweet and salty in just the right way.

The Black Pearl Baked Crabs was indeed that, as the name suggested. Minced crabs baked in a creamy bechamel cheese sauce, served with egg rice and garlic bread. The baked crabs were rich, salty, and cheesy – and went great with both the rice AND the garlic bread. The egg rice was cooked really well and had a mild but savoury taste to it which complemented the richness of the baked crabs.

On the whole, the whole dining experience was fantastic; the food was delicious, and the service was great – fast, attentive, and meticulous. I think it would be safe to say that we would definitely be coming to the Black Pearl again to try more of their dishes!